After the Fall of Olympus

by Killthespares

The League has fallen. The team is dead. All that's left is for Dick Grayson to pick up the pieces and move forward. Easier said than done. AU: Failsafe Actually Happened

8. Year 5: A Not So Lonely Place Part 3

A/N: Trigger warning for self-destructive behavior

ooooooo

"What happened to you?!"

Dick looks up from the computer. "Hmm?"

Jason makes a wild, frantic gesture at Dick's entire person. "You look like you fell off a frickin' building!"

"Oh." He shrugs. "Calculated risk. I'll get Garth to heal what he can later. Don't worry about it."

"Don't worry about it!?"

Dick nods. "Jay, we got a bug into LexCorp. Five of them, actually."

That at least cuts Jason off from what's sure to be an annoyed tirade.

"Seriously?" He comes to lean over Dick's shoulder, just as Dick hooks up the recordings to copy onto the Tower's server. "How?"

"I ran into Deathstroke when I was out on-." Dick stops. "Hey, wait, where were you tonight?"

Jason's expression closes off. "Nowhere."

Dick gives him a look.

"Just working on a case."

"Which case?"

"A new one."

Dick raises an eyebrow.

"I can follow some leads on my own, Dick." Jason rolls his eyes. "I'm not useless."

"I know you aren't," he says. "Just never seen you want to work a case alone."

"Yeah, well, I'm trying something new." Jason crosses his arms, looking down.

"Is this about Tim?"

"Isn't everything these days," he mutters.

"Jay...Jason." Dick grabs his shoulders. "I told you. I promise. Tim's not replacing you as Robin. That's yours."

"Thought it was ours," Jason says too quickly before pulling away. "That's not even-ugh, that's not-I can't-Shit! Why do you always have to be like this? Why'd you have to do all this if you were just going to-"

Jason's mouth snaps closed with a sharp click.

"If I was just going to what," Dick presses. Jason shakes his head mulishly. "Come on, Jay, I can't even try to help if you don't tell me what's wrong."

Jason runs an exasperated hand through his hair. "That's the problem, Dick! You're always trying to help! Always for everyone! I thought...I thought we were...I just thought I was-"

The cave alert system goes off, causing both of them to jump.

Dick reads the alert before turning to Jason. "Roy Harper's awake."

"You gotta go, don't you," Jason says, any emotion in that statement carefully tucked away.

Dick grimaces. "Yeah…I'd prefer it if you came with me, though."

Surprise flickers briefly before Jason scowls. "Don't pander to me, Dick."

"I'm not," he defends. "I think it'll help having someone his own age there. Another hero. Someone he can relate with. Robin."

Jason hesitates, scowl fading.

"Come on, Jay, I need you. You can't be that mad at me, right?"

Jason huffs but moves to grab his mask and distinctive red jacket. "Fine, let's go."

"Thanks, Littlewing." Dick starts up the zeta beam. He catches Jason's arm before they go through. "We'll talk later, okay? I promise."

Jason's jaw firms-that same stubborn tilt that reminds him of Bruce-and he nods. "Whatever, let's go meet the new kid."

"Old kid, technically," he muses.

Jason rolls his eyes. "That's an oxymoron."

"Not in our lives."

ooooooo

Dick's seen a lot of weird things over the past eighteen years; but, nothing's really the same as the strange not quite deja vu feeling that comes from being glared at by the face of a close friend, seven years younger than they should be.

"Where am I," the young Roy Harper demands. "All the girl who looks like Wonder Woman told me is that I'm safe, so what is this place? The Hall of Justice? A hospital? And what happened to my arm?"

Dick sighs, sitting down. "You're at Titan's Tower, kind of like the Hall. We've got a lot to tell you."

"And all of it sucks. Warning you now." Jason leans against the wall.

Dick throws him a look.

"What?" Jason shrugs. "He needs to know what to expect."

On the bed, Roy narrows his eyes at Jason. "Who are you?" He turns and gives a significant look to Dick's beat up state. "Who are either of you?"

Dick hesitates. "That's...a bit of a complicated question."

"I'm Robin," Jason says, pointedly gesturing to the insignia.

"No, you're not." Roy glares. "I know Robin. I've met him. Kid's like ten or something and has a creepy laugh. You're not him. Who are you?"

"That's one of the things we need to tell you," Dick takes over before biting the bullet. "Roy, you were captured by a super villain organization called the Light. They took your arm and kept you unconscious in a cryo-container. It's been seven years."

Roy stops, mouth turning down in an expression of complete bewilderment that reminds Dick strikingly of the time his own Roy had an old bow snap apart in his hands.

"Seven years?"

"Yeah," he confirms. "There's other things you need to know. A lot...a lot's changed."

Roy blinks, wide eyes searching around the room. "Where's Ollie?"

Dick can't help it. He winces. Roy sees it.

"Where's Oliver?" Roy's hand grips down on the sheets. "He should be here. I know he's flaky sometimes, but this….this is important. He should be here. Where is he?"

Dick can't find the words, can't speak quick enough over the lump in his throat as he watches the panicked denial slowly spread over a face he knows almost as well as his own. It's too...it's too familiar.

"Dick, tell him," Jason commands from beside him.

"Oliver died," Dick says bluntly. "There was an Invasion. Five years ago. Oliver fought in it with the rest of the League. They didn't...None of them survived. I'm sorry."

Silence falls and Dick hates it. Hates how it scratches too close to a time where everyone was silent.

"The League died," Dick continues in the silence. "Millions of people died. Hardly any heroes were left. The few that were formed the Titans and set up this tower. That was almost four years ago."

Roy takes a breath, heavy enough that it sounds painful. "Ollie's really dead?"

Dick nods.

"Did Oliver…," he hesitates, "did he even know I was alive?"

Dick and Jason exchange a look.

"That's...that's also a difficult question," Dick finally says. "Oliver knew you were alive because...we didn't know you were missing."

Roy frowns. "You didn't-"

"When the Light took you, they used your arm to make a clone," Dick continues. "Someone with your face and your memories. From our view, you were only missing for a few months before Oliver found you. Your clone, he...lived your life." He sighs. "It wasn't his fault. Roy-the other Roy didn't even know he wasn't you until a few days ago. Don't take it out on him. He's already beating himself up enough already."

"A clone," Roy says slowly. "A clone lived my...and Ollie didn't….how did he…," He takes a breath and closes his eyes. "Where is he? The clone, I mean, not...not Oliver."

Dick shifts. "Like, I said he's been having a rough time with it. He's at his apartment with his daughter."

Roy's head jerks up. "His daughter? He has a kid? Wait, he's married? To who?"

"Jade Nguyen, she's one of the Titans."

"She's terrifying," Jason jumps in. "But in an awesome ex-assassin kind of way."

"Their daughter's name is Lian, she's barely a week old," Dick finishes, watching carefully as Roy's expression moves closer to shellshocked.

"So," he takes a harsh sounding breath, "my clone...he got married, had a kid, is part of whatever new Justice League stuff-Titans or whatever-and Oliver is...Ollie's dead?"

Dick nods. "I'm sorry."

Roy shakes his head, before scrubbing his hand over his face and leaving it covering his eyes. "I'm not going to hold this shit against the clone...the, ah, other Roy if that's what you're worried about. He was just...living his life, I guess." A weird expression halfway between a smile and a grimace. "Probably better than I would have if I'm being honest. You can...you can tell him that if you want. That I forgive him or something."

"Thank you," Dick says quietly, hoping that will help.

"I just," Roy lets out a bitter sounding laugh, an echo to the one that's still ringing in Dick's head, "so, what happens next? Ollie's gone. The world's fricking moved on. I don't even have an arm!"

"We're getting you a new prototype for your arm. It should be ready later today. As for the rest," Dick looks at the kid and wishes that Roy's eyes weren't covered so he could meet them, "look, you're still one of us, Roy. You're still a hero. Even...even if you weren't, even if you decided not to be, the Titans are still going to be here for you. We'll find a way to help you. I promise."

In the corner of his eyes, Dick sees Jason look down to the floor, shoulders turning in slightly in a halfway defensive move like someone expecting a hit.

Dick almost turns to him but then Roy's moving the arm covering his eyes, turning his head to scrutinize Dick with a complicated expression.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Nightwing," he answers steadily. "But, I used to be Robin."

Roy's eyebrows go up briefly before he tilts his head. "You got bigger."

"Comes from not being eleven."

Roy snorts. "The world really has changed, hasn't it?" He turns to Jason. "You're the new Robin, then?"

Jason just shrugs but Roy nods like that's an answer enough.

A tense silence falls between the three where Dick struggles to think of something else to say and Roy looks to the black space where his arm used to be, before suddenly tensing.

"Luthor," he growls out.

Dick's head jerks up. "What?"

"He's the one behind this!" Roy yells, hand clenching at his side. "I was at a LexCorp outbranch in Rhalesia when these guys with guns showed up and surrounded me! They knocked me out and that's...that's the last thing I remember." He looks up at Dick with burning eyes. "Lex Luthor did this to me, didn't he? He's the one who responsible for all of this!"

Dick lays his hand over Roy's clenched one. "We think so. We're still trying to tie him to the Light, we need concrete proof-"

"What more do you need?!" Roy explodes. "It was him! It has to be, I was taken from a LexCorp facility! That's all the proof I need!"

"But, it's not all the proof a court needs," Dick cut in bluntly. "Look, we're trying. We already have bugs planted on one of the Light's mercenaries. We're getting the proof and then, we're bringing this all down on him hard, okay? With enough evidence that he can't buy his way out of it."

Roy's mouth firms. "Oliver told me that the world needs guys like us for when the law and justice don't really see eye to eye."

He sighs. "Things aren't ever that simple, Roy."

"Maybe they should be."

"Give it time," Dick tells him. "Wait until we get proof and watch what we can do with it. We do this the right way and everyone sees Luthor for the monster he really is. That has to be enough."

Roy lets the silence sink in before he answers. "Fine."

And then Roy looks down, obviously signalling the end of the current conversation.

Dick lets him, standing and waiting as Jason follows suit. "The new arm prototype should be by later. Just call any of us if you need anything. I'll be back later."

Roy nods, not saying anything else, and Dick fights back another sigh, heading to the door.

Jason pauses behind him, turning back to Roy. "Hey, Green Arrow really say that? The stuff about justice and the law?"

Roy lifts his head, eyes narrowing. "Yeah, a few days after I moved in. Followed by like an hour long rant about totalitarian regimes. Why?"

"No reason." Jason shrugs. "Just sounds like a cool guy."

Roy blinks before a barely there smile flits across his face. "He was."

ooooooo

Dick turns to Jason the moment they get far enough away from the medbay. "Alright, Jason, what's up with you?"

"Shouldn't you be worrying about Roy instead?" Jason pauses. "Both of them, actually."

"I'm a multitasker."

Jason sighs.

"Just drop it, Dick."

"No. Last time I did that you almost got blown up."

He bristles. "I told you I don't need a babysitter. I'm not stupid, I-"

"That's not-ugh, you have to know that's not what I meant. I trust you." Dick runs an aggravated hand through his hair. "But, I'm not an idiot either, Jason. Look, I've been busy lately. I get it! I'm sorry I haven't been around as much. But, I still want to help I can't do that if you don't tell me what's wrong! You've been upset since Tim got here, if it's about Robin-"

"It's not about Robin!" Jason finally yells. "Stop saying that. It's not about Robin, it's not about the Titans. Do you really think I'm mad at you for being busy bringing down the Light?! How selfish do you think I am?"

"Then, what is it, Jay," he demands. "If it's not that, then what? Just tell me why you're mad at me?"

"I'm not mad at you!" Jason shouts before deflating. "Not...not really."

Dick takes a moment to steady his breathing. "Then, what's wrong?"

Jason goes quiet, pausing in a way that indicates he's thinking rather than just avoiding the question.

"I just...look, don't you think we're trusting Tim too much?"

Dick sighs. "Jason…"

"No, listen," Jason interrupts, "we don't even know anything about him. He's what? Some genius little twerp that finds out our identities and then doesn't do anything with them except tell us he knows?"

"He told us to give us information on the Light."

Jason shakes his head. "No, he told us so we'd train him as Robin and then we said no. He knows our identities and the one thing he asked for we turned him down. Now what? He's just fine with that? Everything's all hunky dory just because we asked him not to tell? No, kid's gotta have some kind of ulterior motive! No one's that fine with being turned down, he's gotta want something else...something else he still thinks he's got a chance of getting."

"Like what, Jay?"

"Like y-," Jason looks down, "I don't know, okay? But, I don't trust him! He wants something"

Dick lays a hand on his shoulder. "Or he's a lonely, way too smart kid that just wanted a chance to meet his heroes."

"Ugh, see, this is why I didn't want to tell you!" Jason shakes off his hand and glares. "You're not even listening!"

"I am," he promises. "Look, Jay, we'll do a more intense background check on him once this whole mess with the Roys settles. I was planning to look more into his parents anyway for a possible neglect case. But, until then, just give him a chance. He's a sweet kid, Jason. I think you'd actually like him if you stopped glaring at him every chance you get. Just try, okay? At least until we get a break in the current Light stuff and can actually handle it."

"What if it's too late by then," Jason demands, stepping back in the way of the zeta. "Shit, by then he might already be sleeping in my room and going on stupid family camping trips!"

Dick frowns. "What?"

Jason's already striding off to the zeta, shoulders tense. "Nevermind! Just forget it, like I told you. I'm going back to Gotham where at least I can handle things on my own."

"Jason, wait!" Dick runs to catch up. "Don't go on patrol when you're upset, it's dangerous!"

Jason angrily punches in the code to the batcave. "I won't go on fricking patrol, Dick. Just leave me alone and go find Garth to fix your stupid cuts!"

The zeta beam powers up and Jason turns back, giving Dick a warning glare not to follow.

Dick steps back. "We'll handle this later, Jay, okay?"

Jason meets his eyes. "You keep saying that, Dick, but only one of us is even asking the right questions."

And then the zeta turns blue and Jason's gone.

Dick manfully resists banging his head against the wall or punching it like he would've five years ago. Instead, he just lets out a breath so slow it sounds like a hiss through clenched teeth and pulls out his phone.

Are u w/ Tim?

Barbara's reply comes a second later. Yeah, he just got here. We're having breakfast with A. Why?

Dick hesitates. Make sure J doesn't harass him, pls.

What happened?

I don't even know.

...U coming over?

Later, I'm at Tower. Giving him space.

Ok.

Dick pockets the phone and then, does give into impulse, and punches the wall just once before sliding down onto the floor with a sigh. The cut on his leg aches in protest.

He's pretty sure he's not supposed to be this frustrated with teenagers until after he stops actually being one.

"Dick?"

His head shoots up. "Kory? What are you doing up?"

Unlike Gotham, it's barely six in the morning.

"Watching the sunrise, it is beautiful here." Kory sits down beside him, tucking her hair behind her ear. "What is wrong? Is it Roy?"

"No." Dick winces. "Well, I mean, yeah, partially. It's more kind of...everything, you know?" He groans. "Didn't things used to be easier?"

Kory squeezes his hand. "No. I am fairly certain they never were."

"You're probably right." His shoulders slump. "I don't know what to do, Kory. I don't even know which problem I should work on first. We've got one Roy that just found out about the Invasion and is still laid up in the medbay, another Roy going through a well earned identity crisis, one Kryptonian and one partially Martian teenager that the Light's been treating as science experiments, and Jason's pissed at me for not looking into Tim." He rolls his eyes. "Plus that's not even counting the field day the Justice Society's going to have when they find out a 'kid hero' was captured for seven years and we had no idea."

He looks down. "Sorry, Kory, I shouldn't be dumping all of this on you, too."

"My friend, never apologize for sharing your burdens," Kory says, smiling in that fond way that always lodges in Dick's chest. She pauses. "Do not worry about the Justice Society. That is a foe we can face when it arrives. Let us not let it be a problem now."

He tries to smile. "That'll just leave it at a hundred problems rather than a hundred and one."

"Still one less for us to manage," Kory points out.

He tilts his head in acknowledgement, turning his palm up until he can lace it with her hand.

She smiles briefly before it turns back down. "What is wrong with Jason?"

Dick closes his eyes and lets his head fall back until it hits the wall. "I don't know, Kory. I really honestly don't know. He doesn't like Tim. That's pretty clear, at least. He doesn't trust him. He's mad at me for not looking into Tim further and...look, I'm trying to get it, alright? I know Jason's got problems trusting people. How could he not with all the shit that happened last year? I just don't get why he's so focused on Tim. Tim's like the opposite of suspicious. And nothing in his files has come up to show anything different. He's a good kid, Kory. I know it. Babs likes him, Alfred likes him. This isn't some Trojan Horse situation like Tara, I can feel it. And….it's not like I don't trust Jason. I do. I'll look into Tim more. I just...I think Jay's focusing on this for the wrong reasons and I can't figure out what those reasons are."

Dick trails off and finally opens his eyes to see Kory looking at him with a thoughtful expression.

"My friend, have you considered that Jason is afraid?"

Dick frowns. "Of Tim?"

"Of what he fears Tim to represent," Kory explains. "Love is...such a strange emotion. Both on Tamaran and here. Wonderful, but so easy to lose sight of and be driven to terrible things if you lose it or fear losing it."

Inexplicably, Dick's mind goes to Roy and he's not sure if he's thinking of the one in the medbay or the one in a nursery.

He shakes it away. "Jason's not losing Robin. I told him he's not. I keep telling him. He said it's not about that."

"I am not speaking of him losing Robin, Dick, I speak of him losing you," Kory corrects.

His frown deepens, brows knitting together. "Me? Why would he lose me?"

With her free hand, Kory reaches out until her hand rests on his cheek and for a split second, she looks far too sad. "For someone who cares so deeply, you miss so easily how that care may be returned." Her hand withdraws and she shakes her head, bright red curls falling over her shoulder. "It is as you say, Jason has faced far too much far too early, especially when it comes to family. Is it that hard to imagine that he would want to cling tighter to the new family he has found?"

"Tim's not replacing Jason in our family either," Dick says as if it's obvious because to him, it is.

She nods. "I know; but, does he?"

"Jason's my brother. How could he think helping Tim would change that," he asks.

She shrugs. "How could he?"

Dick thinks back and slowly the puzzle starts to align itself in a way he'd never think to assemble. It's a strange conclusion, almost incomprehensible just because Dick could never imagine family ever working like that. But did Jason?

It would at least he explain why he seems to have it out for Tim.

He sighs. He feels like he's been doing that a lot lately.

"Thanks, Kory." He pushes up, leaning down slightly to press a brief kiss into Kory's hair and see the breathtaking smile it gets in return.

Kory's always been beautiful, inside and out. It's a fact of life just as true as the sun gives light and the grass is green. But, that doesn't mean it shouldn't be acknowledged.

Dick's chest goes a little bit tight as Kory grasps onto his hand as he helps her to her feet and Dick can't help think, Maybe. Maybe one day.

But, for now, he pushes it away.

"I'll talk to Jason tonight," he promises.

"Good." Her smile fades a bit as Dick's face hits the light and she runs a finger across his chin where he can feel a large bruise forming. "But, maybe go find Garth first."

ooooooo

With things being as tense as they are, almost all of the Titans are spending their free time in the Tower even if it's just to be closer to the team. Even Jade comes by later in the afternoon, striding quickly to the training room with a sharp look on her face and a terse explanation that she'd dropped Lian off with her mother for the night. No one quite dares to ask what happened between her and Roy to precede that.

On the bright side, with all the Titans gravitating to the Tower, Dick does manage to find Garth fairly early so now he only has the constant aches that come with a near decade of vigilantism rather than being what Donna described as "a walking medical emergency".

Now, if only that means Dick can stop restlessly flitting around the Tower trying to distract himself long enough to give Jason space.

Dick is...not a very patient person. He never has been. He can wait quietly through a stakeout. He can think through a mission long enough to make plans and contingencies for those plans. But, when it gets down to it, those are doing things. They're moving forward, even if steadily. Waiting when he know what he needs to do, knows what he wants to say to Jason? That's not action, it's inaction.

Dick's never been good at staying still.

He tries to concentrate on other things. He checks in on Kara to find her still deeply entrenched in news articles on her cousin and tries to add a few memories of his own. He finally gives Gar a full tour of the Tower and watches him work with Lilith on getting his powers under control. It seems like Gar can manage to get rid of the tail and fur; but, he still can't quite change his green hue, even when in human form. Vic brings Roy's new arm later in the day so Dick helps with that, not that the younger archer say much other than a quick thanks and a muttered request for the Tower's nearest archery range.

Dick waits and distracts himself until finally, finally, the sky goes dark and his phone buzzes with a text from Jason.

Meet me in the cave. I found something.

ooooooo

Jason's not there by the time Dick makes it to the cave; but, Babs is. And Tim, sitting quietly at the monitor.

He looks toward Babs first. "Text from Jason?"

Barbara nods, arms crossed, her eyes flickering briefly to Tim.

Dick shrugs.

A second later, there's the sound of a motorcycle-not the R-cycle, thankfully, so at least Jason listened about not going on patrol-and Jason pulls into the cave, ripping his helmet off in a quick movement.

He barely spares a glance to Barbara and Dick before his eyes land on Tim and his expression locks into something tight and dangerous.

"Jason." Dick steps in to intervene. "Wait, I need to talk to you."

"Not now." Jason, radiating the kind of burning fierceness of a wildfire, never looks away from Tim.

He pulls out a beaten up paper file, throwing it at the cave floor in front of Tim's feet. "So, are you going to tell them or am I?"

Tim blinks, looking down at the file with as much confusion as anyone. "Tell them what?"

"The truth," Jason enunciates, advancing slowly. "Figure it's the least you could do after lying to us for weeks."

Barbara tries to get in between them. "Jay, step back and calm down."

"Calm down?! He's been lying to us!" Jason shouts, pointing at Tim. "This entire time he's been lying! From the first night he showed up here."

"I...I haven't," Tim stutters.

Jason's mouth turns down in disgust. "Ugh, just stop already! Stop pretending you're something you're not! I found proof! It's over! You're done!"

"Jason." Dick steps in and grabs Jason's shoulders. "What are you talking about?"

"I told you," Jason says, face crumpling slightly in something finally other than anger. "I told you that we shouldn't trust him! That he wanted something! That he was hiding something from us. You wouldn't look into it, so I did."

Jason takes a breath, wrenching himself out of Dick's grip and when he looks at Tim again it's all anger. "You're a genius, right, Tim? If you wanted to bury something, you must be pretty freaking good at it."

Tim frowns and then, quite suddenly, his eyes widen and the blood drains from his face until he's almost a ghost.

Jason nods, looking satisfied. "Only problem is you're not the only detective here. And, unlike you, I'm not afraid to get closer than a monitor and a bifocal lens." He picks up the file, turning to Dick and Barbara. "Kid's the best hacker we've ever seen, maybe even better than Babs. If you want the truth about him, don't trust any computers. You gotta go old school, find the actual paper trail."

Dick takes the file, Barbara looking in over his shoulder as he opens it to find...two death certificates.

"Jack and Janet Drake," Jason says, eyes still focused on Tim, "who, according to the files kept at the County Clerk's office, died in the Invasion nearly five years ago. Weird that it's the only file that says that. Based on all the digital systems, they're still totally alive. Even filed for a tax extension last year."

He steps forward and Tim's eyes follow him like prey follows predator.

"So," Jason says, "let's try this again. What's the truth, Tim?"

Tim doesn't say anything.

"Still nothing?" He rolls his eyes. "Fine. I'll guess, then. I think that Janet and Jack Drake really did die in the Invasion. Then, I think that someone covered it up-every single digital trace-so that perfect genius Tim Drake would have the perfect matching cover story. Then, I think that whoever covered it up, the person who taught you, the one you're really working for, told you to-"

"No!" Tim shakes his head, eyes wide. "I'm not working for anyone! I promise!"

Jason snorts. "Finally talks and it's another lie. Guess I shouldn't be surprised. Then, who covered up the deaths, huh, Tim? Suppose it was just another good Samaritan, the kind of person who would bring us information on the Light for nothing in return."

"You're wrong," Tim shouts, shooting to his feet. "I'm telling the truth! It's just me!"

"The truth?" Jason shouts right back. "You really expects us to believe a seven year old hacked into the county clerk's office! And then has been doing what? Just nothing for the past five years? You're just another mole! Admit it! The Light was the one that tried to kill me last year, the one that tried to get a mole into the Titans. When those both failed, they combined methods and tried to get a mole in through here!"

Jason's close enough that with every phrase he jams his finger into Tim's chest, pushing the smaller boy back. "And, you know what? Maybe it would have worked. Better plan than the Light's ever come up with before. Because Dick? He's too nice for his own good. He likes to trust people. Likes to help them even when they don't deserve it. Shit, you even got Babs and Alfred to like you!" Jason draws in a heavy breath. "But, you didn't count on me, did you? Because this is my family, too, and I'm not going to let you destroy it."

Jason stops, finally drawing back. "So, one more time, what's the truth? What do you want? Why did you come here?"

"BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO BE ALONE ANYMORE," Tim yells with enough force that even Jason backs up.

His breath hitches, tears starting to roll down. "You're wrong! I don't want to hurt anyone! I just...I just wanted to help." Tim wipes at his eyes, looking miserable, but he keeps going before Jason can interrupt. "You're right about my parents, okay? They died in the Invasion and I...I didn't want to go into CPS and everything was crazy already with the files so I...I snuck onto one of the precinct's computers when they brought me in and then...I just left. No one cared after that and I learned enough about computers that I could keep up with the rest. It wasn't hurting anyone. I still go to school. I know how to take care of myself." He shakes his head, looking down. "There's no one, okay? I promise. There's no one else. It's just me. I didn't think I was lying to you."

Jason scoffs, though it sounds a lot more unsure now, the same kind of not quite confidence he tries for when a mission goes too wrong too fast. "As if you really didn't have any help-"

"I can prove it!" Tim shouts, eyes landing on Jason before they go back to the floor. "The files I changed should all be traceable to my computer. I didn't hide that. I didn't think anyone would care to look." He turns, looking to Babs, Dick, before returning to Jason. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lie. I didn't...I didn't want to intrude."

Tim's voice falls until the next words are barely a whisper. "I just wanted to meet you. You're...you're my heroes. I found everything I could find about all of you. Every time you helped Gotham...I wanted to see if I could help you, too."

He's shaking by the time he's finished and the moment is held suspended, even Jason too hesitant to break it.

"I'm sorry," Tim says again. "I should've told you. I shouldn't have come back after I told you about the Light. I just...I just was tired of being alone."

Tim doesn't look up, wiping his eyes one more time. "I'll go now."

And then he's running, bolting up the stairs to the manor.

The heavy door shuts with a bang behind him and just like that the moment breaks.

As if in sync, both Barbara and Dick turn to look at Jason, who's still staring at the place that Tim stood almost in shock.

"Jason," Barbara says softly.

"I didn't...," Jason starts, voice blank and frowning. "...That's not what I meant to happen."

Before either of them can say anything else, Jason's running, too-the opposite way than Tim went, disappearing deeper into the darkness of the caves.

The last ones left, Barbara and Dick turn to each other.

"Well," Babs says, wincing, "...ouch. I don't think I have anything else to say, just ouch. Think we could have stopped that?"

"Probably." Dick sighs, pressing a hand to cover his face.

"You take Jason, I'll catch Tim?"

"Deal," he agrees, looking in the direction Jason went.

He barely makes it five steps before his communicator beeps.

"Oh, come on, now," he mutters under his breath before clicking it on. "Nightwing."

"Dick," Donna answers, tone focused the way it only gets with missions, "emergency station in the Baltic just sent out an alert. They're reporting Level Four emergency. You coming?"

Level Four of Seven: Moderate situation with possibility of escalation, all Titans on call

Dick sighs, the sound echoing through the comm.

"Dick, you okay?"

"Having a bit of a family emergency here, Don'," he admits. "Mind taking point on this one?"

"Sure thing," comes Donna's immediate reply.

"I can come after if-"

"Dick," she says, sounding amused. "It's just a Level Four. We got this. Everyone else is already here in the Tower except you and Roy. Go be with your family."

She clicks off her comm before he can say anything else.

Right, family. Somehow, Dick thinks the Level Four emergency would be easier.

It takes a little over five minutes to find Jason in the training room, high up on one of the small stone ledges that line the cave. In all honesty, Dick probably would have missed him if not for the tablet lighting up his face.

Dick swings up, scaling a section before flipping up to land.

"Hey, Littlewing."

Jason flinches, punching in something on the tablet. "I traced back the digital files, all the same IP address. He wasn't lying...not about that at least."

Dick sits next to him, not saying anything.

Jason's hands shake. "He could still be lying about other stuff! It could still mean-"

"Jay," He maneuvers the tablet out of his brother's hands. "Come on, you saw him in there. Do you really think he was lying?"

Jason's shoulders sag, kicking at a small rock until it falls down, down, down and hits the cave floor below. "I really screwed this up, didn't I?"

"Kind of," Dick admits. "No one's run off to Ethiopia, though, so you're still doing better than I did."

Jason folds his arm around himself. "Stop trying to make me feel better, Dick."

"No can do." Dick bumps his shoulder. "It's my older brother prerogative."

"Why do you care? You've got a new little brother now, right," he asks, some of the bitterness creeping back into his voice, "A better one."

"Jason. Tim's not replacing you."

"As Robin. Yeah, I know." He rolls his eyes. "You keep saying that."

"He's not replacing you in anything," Dick corrects. "Jason, you're my brother. Nothing's going to change that. Ever. Whether Tim's here or not, you're always going to be my brother."

Jason doesn't say anything for a very long time, long enough that Dick starts to wonder if he's hoping Dick will just give up and leave.

Finally, Jason looks down. "...You know, I actually did try to be fine with it. I tried to tell myself that Tim could help you and Babs more so it was better, would help more. And, you know, he's all big eyed and like a fanboy puppy, not like me. Alfred likes him. He can keep up with Babs even when she gets on the high level computer stuff. He practically cries whenever you compliment him. So, that's good. He's good, better for you guys than I'd be...So, I told myself it would be fine. I'd still have Robin so it's not like I wouldn't see you guys even if you'd be focused on Tim instead... It would still be fine." He curls into himself more, eyes red but still stubbornly dry. "I can't compete with a genius, Dick."

"No one's asking you to." He reaches out only for Jason to scoot back. "So what, Jay, you thought that just because Tim was here, we were going to kick you out?"

Jason looks up, surprise causing his shoulders to drop a little. "I mean not literally. I figured you'd still let me stay at the manor."

"Just ignore you then," Dick asks incredulously.

Something must finally be breaking through because Jason gives his exasperated glare. "You'd have Tim."

"That doesn't mean we wouldn't want you," Dick argues, waiting until Jason meets his eyes. "Jay, it's not a competition. There's no one one spot to fight for. Yeah, Tim's a genius and probably knows more about programming than the entire Wayne Tech IT department. And that's great. That's awesome just like it is when Bab's hacks into a security mainframe or when you figured out where Mr. Freeze was hiding out. It's all great, that's how a team-that's how a family works. You're family." Dick snorts. "We could have fifty kids stuffed in the cave and you still couldn't get rid of me, even if you tried.

Jason stares at him, eyes wide but something fragile and hopeful starting to show through. Dick ruffles his hair while he's still too shocked to stop him.

Finally, Jason speaks. "Please don't bring fifty kids here."

"Don't worry," Dick reassures. "It would break fire safety code."

Jason huffs out a rough sounding laugh, cautiously coming closer until he's almost leaning against Dick. Dick mentally fist pumps, thanking whatever saint watches over emotionally stunted vigilante families.

"I'm sorry," Jason says.

"I know." Dick smiles. "But, I don't think I'm the one you should be apologizing, too."

Jason closes his eyes, not moving in further but not leaning any more in either "You want to take him in, don't you?"

Dick hesitates. "...Yeah, I do. He's a good kid that deserves a lot more in his life than an empty house and a computer. What do you want, though?"

Jason looks up, frowning in confusion.

Dick winks. "That's the other thing about families. It doesn't just matter what one person wants, not for something this big, it takes everybody."

Jason stiffens, eyes drifting down this time in heavy thought rather than avoidance. Dick sneaks an arm around him and pulls him in for a quick, tight hug. Jason's hand comes up to sluggishly bat him away on habit. "Just think about it, Jason. We're not doing anything without you."

Dick stands, looking down at Jason as the younger continues to stare down at the floor.

"I'm going to go check on them," Dick tells, waiting for Jason to give a half-shrug of acknowledgement, still caught up in his thoughts. "….for what it's worth, I think you'd be a great big brother, Jay...if you want to be that is."

ooooooo

He finds Tim on the couch in the sitting room where they'd met him what seems a lot longer than a few weeks ago.

He's stopped crying, which would be great if he was doing something other than looking down with raw red eyes and a bleak expression as Barbara sits next to him with an arm wrapped around him.

Dick pauses in the doorway and just watches for a moment. Times like this he really wishes Bruce was here. Not that Bruce was ever particularly great at emotional conversations but, well...Dick just wants him here. He's not, though. Which means Dick's just going to have to do the best he can..

Tim tenses when he notices Dick. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"Nothing to apologize for," he reassures, sitting on the floor in front of him so Tim will see him. "I'm sorry. I should've looked further into your parents when I suspected something was wrong."

"Nothing….nothing's wrong," Tim denies before wincing. "I mean...other than the lying. I'm fine."

"Tim," Barbara says gently. "You've been living alone for what? Five years now? That's not fine."

"I'm used to it," Tim argues plaintively, wide eyes looking between the two. "I promise. I know how to take care of myself! I go to school, I pay bills, I even do the taxes! I'm okay, really! I mean, yeah, I'm not that great at cleaning but-"

Dick grips Tim's hand, cutting him off. "Tim, just because you're smart enough to take care of yourself doesn't mean you have to. Everybody needs people."

"I do! I have…," Tim looks to the side. "I mean...I did. I had...I had you guys. I followed everything, ever since I saw you in Haly's circus. I read every news article they had and then everything I could find. I know...I know that's not the same as actually knowing you but...I wasn't...I wasn't alone."

Tim's flushing bright red by the time he finishes, shoulders turned in as he refuses to meet their eyes. "This was stupid. I just wanted to meet all of you. To really, actually meet you. It was selfish and now, I made everything worse."

"Tim," Dick says seriously. "I think you're a long, long way from making things worse. Because of you, we found out Roy was being controlled against his will. We saved Kara and Gar...we found the other Roy when we didn't even know he was missing. You have helped, Tim. And even if you hadn't given us all that, we'd still be glad you're here."

Tim looks up, blinking in confusion before glancing at Barbara, who nods while her lips quirk up in a smile. "What Dick means is we like you even if you weren't my little hacking genius."

Tim blinks again before his face falls back into a frown. "But, Jason hates me."

Dick lets out a slow breath. "Jason…"

"Was being an asshole," a new voice announces as the group looks up to see Jason standing in the doorway, arms crossed. He looks at Tim. "I was a dick and I don't even have the name to excuse it."

Tim jolts up. "W-what?"

Jason rubs his hand through his hair. "You didn't do anything, okay?...Well, you hacked into government databases which is definitely illegal but we do that all the time anyway so that's kind of whatever…" Jason trails off, eyes flickering to Dick and Dick nods in encouragement. He sighs. "What I'm trying to say is it wasn't your fault. It was all me. I didn't trust you because I wanted to hate you. Then, I found evidence so I could. So, I'm-"

"But, I lied to you," Tim breaks in, hesitantly.

"Meh." Jason shrugs, distracted. "About a year ago, I tried to steal Dick's tires. My point is I'm sor-"

Tim frowns. "But, what about-"

"Look," Jason cuts him off, glaring, "I'm apologizing here. Quit interrupting me!"

"You're apologizing," Tim asks, looking lost.

Jason huffs. "I'm trying to. I'm sorry about...you know, being a jerk and digging up the shit about your parents and accusing you of being a mole and, well, kind of despising you. I'll try to, uh, not do that anymore."

Jason finishes, eyes flickering to Dick and Babs cautiously. Dick grins and Jason finally loses some of the stiffness. He looks back to Tim. "So, what do you say? Truce?"

Tim stares at him, eyes wide. "I-"

And then, Dick's comm goes off with an emergency alert and everyone freezes.

Dick goes still, clicking it on

"Nightwing," Donna says, not even waiting for him to speak. "We've got a problem. The emergency alert was fake. The village says they never even sent anything to the emergency station."

Dick frowns, already pulling up his wrist computer. "How long until you can get back?"

"At least thirty minutes. The village wasn't close."

Dick has the zeta records up. "Oh, crap."

"What is it," Barbara asks first, followed by Donna echoing it a second later.

"Zeta records logged two trips in the past thirty minutes," Dick says. "Both for Red Arrow."

"Roy finally left the apartment," Donna asks. "Um, good?"

He grimaces. "Wrong Roy. The first entry is from the Tower to Star City."

"Roy...the original Roy, I mean. He went home," Tim asks, frowning.

"Not for long," Barbara reports, pulling up the report on her phone. "Second zeta barely twenty minutes later to Metropolis."

"What's in Metropolis," Donna asks.

Jason looks at Dick, eyes wide, and Dick swears.

"Luthor," Dick answers. "He's going after Lex Luthor."

"Is he insane?!" Donna shouts over the comm. "LexCorp basically has its own private army. He'll never get in."

"Dick, look." Barbara pushes the phone towards him. "It's the zeta camera in Star."

Dick looks and then, he stares because that can't possibly be…

"Is that a rocket launcher," Jason hisses. "How did he find a freaking rocket launcher in twenty minutes?!"

"He probably got it from Green Arrow's old stash," Dick answers absently, already working on pulling up the trackers he'd placed yesterday.

Jason's head whips around between Dick and Barbara. "Green Arrow had a weapons stash with a rocket launcher?! That's awesome!" Barbara shoots him a look. "I mean terrible. Who even needs that? Wait, do we have a rocket launcher?"

Barbara ignores him, looking at Dick. "So, Roy hacked the alert system to make sure the Titans were out of the country, got a military grade weapon, and is now heading straight for LexCorp. Dick, that's not planning for an arrest, that's an execution."

"I know," Dick mutters as the last of the tackers comes up. "Shit. And Deathstroke's there, too, not to mention whatever security Luthor has in place. Even if he doesn't kill Luthor, he's going to get himself killed."

Silence settles around them before Tim breaks it. "Then, we've got to stop him, right?"

"Right," Jason agrees immediately, looking up at Babs and Dick for the plan.

Barbara bites her lip. "It's LexCorp. That's three of us and one thousand feet of some of the toughest security protocols known to man."

"I can help!" Tim chimes in. "I can get into the security cameras!"

Dick and Barbara turn to each other, silently debating.

"If the kid says he can do it, let him try," Jason interrupts. "We have to save Roy!"

"We know," Dick says. "But, we can't go into LexCorp blind. That's a suicide mission."

Barbara sighs, standing up. "Tim, are you sure? LexCorp's security is top of the line, even I haven't been able to get fully inside."

Tim hesitates only slightly before nodding. "I know LexCorp's security, I've tried to hack it before! I could never get into the internal mainframe; but, I can get in to the security cameras. I know it!"

Jason, Tim, and Barbara all look to Dick.

"Suit up," he tells them. His hand goes to the comm as Barbara and Jason run to the cave, Tim right behind them. "Don', get the Titans back as fast as you can for back up. We're heading in alone."

"Got it," she says. "Don't get killed."

He grimaces and hears her comm clicking off

He waits half a second before typing into another channel, another comm.

"I don't know if you're listening," he says to the quiet. "But, if you are, we really need some help. Roy needs your help. He's going after Luthor."

ooooooo

By the time they arrive at LexCorp, everything's already on fire.

Which, come to think of it, is a pretty good description for most things in Dick's life.

The upper half of the building-thankfully, largely unstaffed except for Luthor's office-has a large, still smoking hole in it that means the rocket launcher's already come into play.

"Batcave, what's the inside look like," Dick asks from where they're positioned a rooftop away.

"Firefighters are already evacuating all the civilians," Tim reports over the comm. "The cameras are only showing security guards that look like they're in a hurry. No sign of Roy or Luthor"

"Where are the security guards heading," Barbara asks.

"They're splitting up. Sub-basement, mostly."

Jason frowns. "What's down there?".

The sound of clicking. "No cameras down there. Building plans just show a carport."

"So, a subterranean floor, off the camera feed and free from civilians," Dick surmises. "Whatever's going down, it's going down there."

"Guess they're not going to let us walk in the front door," Barbara says.

"Doors, pfft." Dick shoots a line. "Takes all the fun out of heroics if you don't bust through a window, BG."

"Dork," Jason huffs as Barbara rolls her eyes. Oh well, Tim probably enjoyed it.

They hit the windows seven stories up.

Five seconds after, they're greeted by a hail of bullets as two men, that look far more equipped than your average security guard, start firing at them.

Dick takes cover behind a solid steel desk, Jason right beside him and Barbara on the desk to the right. Two batarangs embed in the wall behind the guards, flashing red before they explode in a spray of yellow gas, knocking the guards unconscious.

Dick clicks on the comm. "What's our quickest route?"

"The stairwell," Tim answers. "Out of the office and to your right."

"Got it," Dick says, already running to the hall with Jason and Barbara behind him.

Another guard's already in the hallway and Jason goes low, sweeping his legs while Dick knocks him unconscious with an escrima stick.

"Wait, what's on the floors below us," Barbara asks over the comms as they make it to the stairwell.

The sound of more typing.

"The lobby and the business section," Tim answers. "Upper floors are the servers and Luthor's office."

"The servers." Barbara turns to Dick. "N, We're in LexCorp. We're inside one of the most secure places on the planet that just got torn through by a missile launcher. Even if we get Speedy out of this, we're gonna need a really good explanation unless he wants to get arrested by the cops."

Dick looks at her. "We don't have much time. You think we can do it?"

She grins. "I think I can. You and Robin go save Speedy. I'll catch up."

Dick pauses, clicking through on his comm to Tim. "What's security look like on the fourth floor?"

"Um, bad," Tim says, nervously. "There's like twenty guys, all with really heavy duty guns."

Babs winks. "Not for long."

Dick smiles. "Be careful.'"

"You, too." She fires a grappling hook, letting it hook in the upper guard rails and carry her up.

Dick looks to Jason, following as they secure lines around their own rails. "Ready?

Jason nods.

"Stairway should be clear until you get to the bottom floor," Tim reports. "Sublevel's only accessible through an elevator. You'll need a keycard."

"No problem." Jason holds up a card he must have grabbed when taking down the hallway guard.

Dick loves his brother, he really does.

Their feet hit down at the bottom of the stairwell where, sure enough, thick steel doors mark a high security elevator. Dick grimaces. Steel enforcing, underground, no cameras, and only accessible to security. Trust Luthor to double up a carport with an above military grade bunker.

Jason moves to scan the stolen card and Dick grabs his wrist.

"Wait, we're missing someone." Dick pulls up the trackers. "Deathstroke's on the floor below, probably blocking the rest of the floor with Luthor and Speedy."

"How do we handle him," Jason asks.

Dick touches the comm. "Batcave, I need you to track Robin's comms and Deathstroke's trackers to find him a way around to Luthor."

Jason frowns. "He'll be working partially blind without the security cameras."

"One second, I think I can get a complete floor plan," Tim says, followed by typing.

"Nightwing, no way is Deathstroke not going to notice us sneaking passed him," Jason says.

"He definitely would," Dick agrees. "That's why I'm going to be the distraction."

"Got the floor plans," Tim says, triumphantly.

Jason's still looking at Dick.

"Relax," Dick reassures. "If Deathstroke really wanted to kill me, he would've by now."

For some reason, neither his team nor his family ever finds that as reassuring as he does.

"Robin," Dick tacks on seriously when it looks like Jason's going to object, "we don't know how much time we have to get to Speedy. Someone needs to get down there and we can't do that with Deathstroke in the way."

Jason sighs and scans the keycard for the elevator. "I hate when you're right."

"I'm always right," Dick jokes as the elevator doors open.

The elevator reaches the bottom floor just a few seconds after Jason's made it through the elevator ceiling. They both just have to rely on Tim to find him a way through there to Roy.

The door opens, dinging happily as Dick ducks, bullets embedding in the wall behind him.

"Kid," Slade greets, gun down and two swords at the ready. "Can't say I'm surprised to see you."

Dick steps out of the elevator, holding up his escrimas. "We've gotta stop meeting like this."

Then, he rushes Slade, blocking against the swords and almost getting in a hit to the chin before Slade dodges, aiming a kick at Dick's leg. Dick retreats back.

Slade grins. "And yet you don't look surprised to see me."

A cut with the sword that Dick sidesteps, counters with a partial hit to the ribs, before ducking as the other sword swings down.

Gotta be faster...or smarter.

"Plus, you're two short of a full nest. You sent them ahead, didn't you?"

"Don't need them to handle you." Dick barely brings up an escrima to block the next blow

Slade laughs, holstering the second sword so he can put more weight behind the one. "We'll see about that."

He bats away Dick's next hit, countering with a swipe almost too quick for Dick to flip over, landing behind Slade and aiming a kick at his knees.

Slade moves, the sword coming down where Dick was a millisecond before. "More relevant is that means you knew I was here even though we both know there's no cameras on this level."

"Just lucky, I guess." Dick flips again, landing in a crouch further away to give himself a precious bit of space. "Or unlucky given the company."

Slade rushes him and he's not fast enough to avoid the next hit, barely bringing up his escrima in time to avoid a broken bone. His arm shakes under the weight, holding steady as Slade bears down with his sword. "I keep telling you, kid. You're not that lucky."

Suddenly, Slade's eye widens and he steps back, freeing the pressure on Dick's arm.

The mercenary's free hand goes to his uniform, searching, until...he holds up a small black tracker, gripped in the fabric along his shoulder. Exactly where Dick blocked a hit a night ago.

Dick smiles innocently, bringing his escrimas up. "I guess you could say a little birdie told me."

Slade crushes the tracker, watching him with a contemplative frown. "You placed this during the fight, didn't you?"

Dick doesn't answer. Doesn't need to.

"You goaded me into a fight to get close enough to plant a bug," Slade accuses, sounding actually pleased. "Ah, kid, maybe you really are learning?"

"Maybe," he replies evenly.

There's a ringing sound of metal against metal as Dick's escrima instinctively blocks a sword swipe so fast the motions blur.

Dick doesn't wait before swinging around with a kick to Slade's side.

Slade grunts as it hits, swinging back with a hit that would decapitate Dick if he was a second slower but instead just gives Slade more room.

"So, was the offer even real," Slade asks conversationally, paradoxical to the force the next hit uses to cut through the armor on Dick's shoulder and almost his arm.

Dick doesn't pause to check, spinning out of the way of the following swipe. "Sure, if you accepted it."

"But, the supposed purity of my heart wasn't the main reason." Slade grins. "I'm hurt, kid."

Dick flips backwards, landing a few meters away and shrugs. "I'm a multitasker."

Then, he drops the escrima, throwing out two blinking batarangs that swing sharply through the air before landing on cars at opposite sides of Slade.

Dick meets Slade's eye.

The cars explode.

Dick doesn't give Slade time to recover before diving into the smoke, knocking the sword away and sweeping Slade's legs, still unsteady from the explosion.

From the ground, Slade pulls Dick's leg, trying to knock him to the ground beside him and Dick goes with it, letting himself land in a controlled fall and grabbing Slade's wrist before he can move away.

Clink.

The sound of a handcuff snapping around a wrist comes right before Dick snaps the other cuff to one of the reinforced steel bars that line the carport.

Slade looks at the cuff then raises an eyebrow.

"Meta-proof cuffs, virtually indestructible." Dick smiles. "You told me I had to be better."

Slade laughs. "Still got a lot to work on before you're better trained than me, kid."

"Yeah," Dick agrees. "But, that's the thing, isn't it? I am working. Until then, I just need to win when it matters." He stands. "I'm not going to pretend that'll hold you for long but, unfortunately, I don't have time to stay here until someone comes to arrest you. Got a brother to catch up with."

"See you soon, kid." Slade smirks. "Real soon."

Dick doesn't bother to respond, running down the carport and tapping his comm.

"Deathstroke's handled," he reports. "Where's Robin and Speedy?"

"600 meters to your right," Tim reports, almost tripping over his words in the rush. "Hurry!"

Dick swears and doesn't even waste time on foot, firing a line at the ceiling and swinging over the cars in the direction Tim indicated.

He doesn't need a notification when he finds it, the flipped and still smoking cars would have been a clear enough sign already if the people gathered weren't enough.

Twenty armed guards stand in a loose circle, guns all trained to the middle where two figures are standing back to back. Jason's facing the guards, glaring even under his mask, and holding up two batarangs. At his back, the younger Roy almost doesn't even seem to notice the guards, too busy with an arrow pointed at the other side of the circle, right at Lex Luthor's heart.

Dick lands on a car right outside the circle. "Order your men to stand down, Luthor."

"Certainly," Luthor says smoothly. "Just as soon as our young friend puts down his bow."

"Not going to happen," Roy says.

"Luthor," Dick grounds out through clenched teeth, "that's two teen heroes your men have their weapons pointed at. One of them, my family. Stand. Down."

Luthor hums. "Robin is, of course, able to remove himself whenever he so chooses. My men will let him."

Jason scoffs. "Just move out of the way and let you shoot Speedy here? Yeah, right!"

"Robin," Roy says, lowly, "save yourself. This is between me and Luthor."

"I know you've been out of the business for awhile; but, we don't abandon teammates." Jason eyes the guns. "No matter how stupid they are."

Dick restrains a sigh. It's definitely hypocritical but sometimes he wishes his family would be a little less self-sacrificing. Just for once.

Barbara lands nearly silently on a car across the circle, looking at Jason then Dick. He shakes his head, signaling to wait.

Luthor clears his throat. "You know, Mr. Harp-ah, I mean Speedy, I admire you."

"Shut up," Roy growls, never lowering his bow.

"It's true," Luthor continues. "Though your weapons have caused quite a bit of damage to my building, I've always believed that the greatest arsenal anyone can bring to the table is his own mind, his intelligence, his stratagem, his force of will. You, my young friend, have all of those in spades."

Roy narrows his eyes. "Are you really trying to appeal to me, Luthor? Flatter me with some empty words as if that's enough to save you?"

Luthor smiles. "I agree words are often empty. It's a good thing that I offer more."

He holds up a case. "Vengeance is a sucker's game, son, and yours can only be achieved at the cost of your own life. You see ever since you vacated that cozy little freezer unit we provided for you, I've expected this confrontation. So, I came prepared." Luthor gestures to the case. "I don't suppose I can convince you to drop your bow and open it."

"Open it yourself, Luthor," Roy orders.

Luthor smirks and with a small click, the case comes open. He holds it up to the group, revealing a gleaming metal arm.

"What is it your really want, son," Luthor asks, "Revenge or satisfaction? This arm is the latest LexCorp has to offer, decades ahead of anything else, including the arm you're currently equipped with. I'll admit the years you've sacrificed for LexCorp came at a heavy cost, so let us make it up to you. Drop your bow and take the arm and you can be leagues above anything you'd have ever achieved on your own. A living arsenal."

The moment hangs in frozen stillness, stretched out and cutting like shards of broken glass.

Finally, Roy breaks it.

"You think I care...about my arm?"

Luthor pauses, frowning. "Obviously, not solely, I imagine waking from the cryostasis was a bit disjointing-"

"Disjointing?!" Roy's entire body is shaking even as the arrow holds firm. "I lost seven years of my life! You took them from me! You took everything!"

"Not everything," Luthor insists and for the first time, he sounds nervous. "You didn't age in cryogenics. You can still live your life, just better, take the arm and-"

"The arm?! The arm?!" Roy yells. "This isn't about the arm! I lost Oliver! He died and I wasn't there to save him, all because of you!"

Luthor pales, holding up his hands. "Wait-"

"No," Roy's voice goes flat. "I'm done waiting. Seven years past done. Now, you're going to pay. Not just for me, for him. Him and everyone else you've hurt because you don't care who your actions affect."

"Speedy, wait," Dick shouts.

Roy doesn't look away. "Sorry. I know what you're going to say. Wait and do this the right way. Let the courts decide. But, guys like him? That's not how this works. He'll just buy his way out like he always does, like he does for everything. Not this time. Ollie always said we're there for when the law isn't. Can't think of a better time than this."

Roy draws the bow back.

Jason meets Dick's eyes and Dick nods like the fall of a guillotine. If it comes down to it, the gunmen aren't aiming at Jason. Robin knows how to avoid. Speedy can't.

The guards' fingers tense on their guns.

Roy and Luthor lock eyes.

"Goodbye, Lex."

He lets loose the arrow.

SNAP!

The arrow falls to the ground, halfway between Roy and Luthor, cut in half by the slice of another arrow.

"Hey," a voice says and every eye in the carport turns to find a uniformed Roy Harper, age twenty-two, stepping out of the darkness. He's holding a bow. "I think we need to talk."

The younger Roy's eyes widen. "You're…"

"You," he answers before grimacing. "Well, kind of. Supposed to be, anyway."

Roy blinks, looking down at the broken arrow before back to his clone. "Then, why did you stop me?! I have this. Him. He killed Oliver!"

The older Roy sighs. "No, Luthor's done a lot of things. But, he didn't kill Oliver. The Invasion did."

"And I could have stopped that," Roy yells. "I could have saved him! He was my partner! I was supposed to save him!"

Before anyone can react, the younger Roy spins, another arrow already pointed at Luthor. "Luthor took that from me!"

The arm's drawn back, arrow's cocked, and across the circle, Luthor flinches.

The older Roy grabs the arm before it can fire, stepping forward until he's inches away. "No one could have saved him. No one. I know. I was there. I'm the closest thing to you that genetics could make and I couldn't save him. You wouldn't have, either."

The younger Roy's hand shakes. "But, I could have been there. I should have been there."

He looks to his clone. "You can't tell me Luthor doesn't deserve to die. Not after everything he's done. You can't."

"No, I can't," Roy agrees solemnly. "But, I can tell you that Ollie would have hated if you were the one to do it. Especially like this. Oliver would have hated this. Oliver would have wanted you to live, he'd want both of us to live, not throw your life away on human garbage like him."

The younger Roy lets out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, well, Ollie can't won't much of anything anymore, can he? He's dead."

The older pauses, almost long enough that it doesn't look like he'll say anything. When he finally does, it's low enough to be a whisper except for how it echoes around the parking lot.

"But, we're not," Roy says, "We're not dead and he is and I'm not going to stand here to lie to you and say that's okay. But, listen, I might not have tried to kill Luthor but I've done the whole self destructive thing. I know what it's like to want to break everything apart because the world's already breaking. And maybe that's what you want now? Fine, I get it. But, you know what? It doesn't end well. Nothing's fixed. Oliver's still dead. You still hurt. There's just a lot more broken shit around you without anyone else to blame." He sighs, glancing at Luthor before looking back at the younger teen. "This is revenge, Roy, not justice. "

The Roys meet eyes, an arrow strung between them, still pointed at Luthor's heart.

"Sometimes…," the younger Roy takes a breath, "sometimes revenge and justice are the same thing."

"Yeah," the older Roy steps back, hands raised in surrender, "and if you think this is one of them, then take the shot. If not, put it down and I'll show you something better."

The weight of the entire carport is held on the taut line of the bow for one...two...three...four…

The string loosens. An arrow clenched tightly in a metal hand.

"Something better, huh," the fifteen year old mutters. "Don't know if I believe you."

Roy gives a small smile. "You'd be surprised."

ooooooo

Red and blue lights flash across the LexCorp Tower as the police interview over one hundred of Luthor's personal security guards, who all insist that the explosion was just an unfortunate mechanical error.

A rooftop away, Nightwing and Red Arrow watch.

"A mechanical error?" Dick shakes his head. "How many people you think will believe that?"

"Approximately zero," Roy answers. "But, unless it's the Daily Planet, no one will ask questions either. How'd you convince Luthor not to press charges against Speedy?"

"Someone at the Batcave was smart enough to forward me the recordings from our masks." Dick hums. "I reminded Luthor that openly admitting to kidnapping a hero and human experimentation wouldn't be in his favor."

"Confession under duress. Not admissible in courts."

"Doesn't matter. I told him I'd leak it to the papers."

Roy smiles and the two fall into a momentary silence.

Eventually, Dick speaks. "I didn't think you'd come."

Roy scratches the back of his neck. "For about a minute, I didn't think I would either. Then, I thought about how much Oliver would have killed me if I didn't get off my ass. Not to mention, Dinah."

"So….," Dick says cautiously, "does this mean you're back?"

He doesn't answer.

"Roy?"

"Will," he corrects, "Will Harper. Figure it's confusing enough without both of us going by Roy and, well, the kid did have it first. William's my...his...our middle name so it'll work. Might just go by Harper for awhile until people get used to it." Roy-Will Harper sighs. "As for coming back...I can't. Not yet. Not fully."

He looks down and kicks at the gravel on the roof. "I need to figure some things out first. Who I am without Ollie. What kind of hero I am." He shakes his head. "I need to take a break from the Titans, Dick. I'll still be an auxiliary member, I'll still work out of Star, I'm not going to avoid the Tower or anything, but I need...time."

Dick swallows, trying not to view this as an end because it's not. "We're here for you. You know that, right?"

Will Harper, the oldest friend that Dick has, looks up at him and smiles

"I know, Rob. I know." Will's eyes fall back to LexCorp. "I just think it's time I be there for some other people, too."

He turns back to Dick. "I want to take in Roy."

Dick blinks. "Won't that be a bit...weird?"

Surprisingly, Will laughs. "Honestly, what isn't in our lives? It's fine. It's what Ollie would have wanted. It's what I want. No one's got a better chance of understanding that kid than me."

Dick sits down on the ledge, dangling his feet over. "You know taking in a teenager isn't as easy as you think it'd be. But...it's worth it."

"Yeah?" Will sits down beside him. "Maybe you could give me some pointers. Don't think me not being a Titan gets you out of helping us with Lian, you're still her godfather"

Dick bumps his shoulder. "Wouldn't miss it."

And, for just a bit, in the lights of cop cars and firetrucks and the smoke of a blown up building, Dick thinks that it's almost enough to be alright.

ooooooo

"Everything is not alright," Kara takes a deep, panicked breath. "I can't do this! Dick, I can't do this!"

Around them, the wind blows lazily over a haystack as Gar makes faces at the chickens.

"It's going to be fine, Kara," Dick reassures. "Trust me."

"What if they hate me?!" she shouts. "What if they hate me because I'm not…" She shakes her head. "No, I can't do this. Let's just go back to the Tower and we can live there forever."

"Which you definitely can," he says. "But, maybe first, just give them a chance. They really want to meet you. Both of you," he adds to Gar.

Gar grins, looking at Kara. "You can go back to the Tower if you want. I'm going to meet them! Are you kidding? This is like the second most awesome day of my life!"

Kara's shoulders slump. "Are you sure they won't hate me? I don't...I don't think I can handle it if they hate me."

"I promise," Dick says.

He leads them to the front door and knocks before she can change her mind.

An older woman answers it, faded auburn hair shining in the sunlight as she blinks before her eyes fall on Kara.

The woman's mouth falls open. "Is this...are you…"

Dick clears his throat. "Mrs. Kent, I'd like to introduce you to Kara Zor-El and Garfield Logan."

Kara smiles hesitantly. "He...he was my cousin."

That's all she gets out before Martha Kent's pulling her into a hug, holding tightly as tears trace down the older woman's face.

"You have his smile," she whispers.

Kara's eyes widen before suddenly she breaks, burying her face into the woman's shoulder as she lets out a soft sob. Martha holds her close, making comforting shushing noises. "It's okay, honey, we understand."

An older man comes up behind them, focusing on Gar.

He pats his wife's back, where she still holds Kara, before walking around and holding out a hand. "Nice to meet you, son. I'm Johnathan Kent."

Gar takes the hand. "I'm Gar. I'm...not Kryptonian. I'm, ah, just green. Sorry."

"No need to be sorry," Johnathan winks. "To tell the truth, we're not Kryptonian either. Glad to have you on the farm, though. Don't suppose you like animals?"

Gar's shoulders relax, offering a small smile. "Love them."

"Let me show you the barn." Johnathan grins.

"Awesome!"

"Wait, a sec," Dick pulls out a small gold ring, handing it to Gar.

Gar raises an eyebrow. "Ah, geeze, Nightwing, a ring? But, this is so sudden!"

Dick rolls his eyes. "It has a spell Zatanna's been working on for ages for Kory and Vic. This one's set to you."

Gar blinks, taking it. "What's it do?"

"It's a glamour charm," he explains. "Specifically as long as you have it you'll look a lot less green to everyone except the team."

Gar grips it in his hand. "I can...I can go out in public? Like to the mall or a concert or-"

"Or anywhere," Dick smiles. "Like say, a school. I've got a minor one for Kara, too."

He hands it to Johnathan.

"Really? You put it in glasses?" Gar eyes the case, scrunching up his nose.

"A classic," Johnathan says, smiling softly.

Dick nods. "Zee's working on combining the more subtle ones into a lot of the team's uniforms, just enough to change a few facial features. Chins. Noses. Good enough to help us from being recognized."

A few feet away, Kara and Martha finally let go, Kara wiping at her eyes, but smiling, as she goes to meet Johnathan. Gar, meanwhile, finds himself pulled into a hug of his own by Martha before her husband steals both teens away to show them the rest of the farm.

Martha stays behind.

"Thank you," she says, watching them go. "After what happened Clark, I never thought we'd see kids run around this farm again."

Dick smiles. "Well, no better place to find a Kryptonian than the Kent Farm. Besides, Clark would have wanted you to meet her."

She pulls him into a one armed hug. "You're a good boy, Dick Grayson. You staying for dinner?"

"I can't," he says apologetically. "Got some people waiting for me back in the cave."

"Bring them all sometime," she orders. "I still need that butlers of yours shortcake recipe."

Dick snorts. "Good luck, Jason's been trying to figure that one out for a year. Alfred won't budge."

She throws him a wink. "But, I haven't tried yet."

ooooooo

"How'd it go," Barbara asks when he steps out of the zeta. Jason's standing by the batarang display, flipping one idly in his hands. Tim sits beside him, watching the movements with the usual intensity he gives to everything but far more relaxed in Jason's presence than he's ever seemed before.

For the first time in a month, Dick feels everything fall into place.

He grins. "Good. Looks like Kara and Gar have a new place to stay."

"That's everything, then, right," Tim asks, looking excited. "Mission accomplished?"

"Not quite," Dick answers, exchanging a look with Babs before finally they both look at Jason.

Jason meets his gaze before nodding. "Alright, go ahead."

"You sure, Jay," Dick asks.

"I'm sure" Jason pauses, looking briefly to Tim before nodding again, this time with a small smile. "Like I said, he fits."

Tim frowns. "What are you talking about?"

Dick turns to Tim. "I talked to Alfred. And Barbara. And Jason. And, well, we kind of wondered if you'd like to stay here? With us?"

"What?" Tim tilts his head. "For how long?"

"Forever," Jason huffs mostly for show. "We're asking if you want to move in. Have Alfred adopt you. The whole shebang."

Tim's eyes widen, mouth falling open. "You'd...you'd really want me?"

He's asking the group but his eyes fall on Jason.

"Yeah...yeah, we do." Jason clears his throat. "I do….if you want, I mean."

"I….really?"

Tim's eyes are flying to all of them, looking for doubt so Dick steps forward, pulling Tim into a hug. "Welcome to the family, Tim."

Barbara steps around to the other side and ruffles his hair. "Now, all you need is a name."

Dick bats her away. "No, stop, Alfred's going to kill us if we get him into vigilantism before he's even adopted."

"Yeah, cause breaking into LexCorp isn't already vigilantism." Jason snorts.

"Wait!" Impossibly, Tim's eyes go even wider. "Are you saying that you'll actually train me?"

Dick sighs. "Only if you want. You don't have to-"

"But, Jason's Robin," Tim interrupts, casting a worried glance to Jason.

"It's not like there's not other names." Jason rolls his eyes.

"Listen, Tim," Dick says seriously, "this is your choice. If you don't want anything to do with this stuff, that's fine. That's beyond fine. That's great. Heck, even if you just want to stay here or at the Tower and help monitor missions, that would be wonderful. But, if you'd like…," He shrugs, "we'll help you with whatever you want to do."

"Well, I kind of…," Tim smiles sheepishly . "I...kind of already thought of a name."

Jason laughs. "Of course, you did. Face it, Dick, the 'do something other than vigilantism' speech never actually works, does it?"

"One day," Dick argues without much hope.

Barbara ignores both of them with the ease of practice, squeezing Tim's shoulder. "What's the name?"

"Um" Tim looks down, a bit of his former shyness coming through, "it's, ah, it's...Red Robin."

There's a long moment of silence.

"You know," Jason drawls, "for a kid genius, I kind of expected something more creative."

Dick elbows him. "That's a great name, Tim...if Jason's okay with you using part of his name, that is."

Tim looks at Jason with large pleading eyes.

Jason scratches the back of his neck, awkwardly. "Yeah, whatever. Makes sense, I guess." His eyes turn to Dick and slowly he smiles. "Fits kind of perfect, actually."

"Why," Tim asks.

Jason shrugs. "Robin's a family name."

ooooooo

After Jason and Tim are already upstairs, one helping with supper while the other is given the rundown of Alfred's finer points of adoption, Dick looks to Barbara.

"You got it, then?"

Barbara holds up the flash drive. "Straight from Luthor's servers. I broke the encryption this morning; he won't even know we have it."

She plugs in the drive and five names flash on the monitor.

Vandal Savage. Lex Luthor. Queen Bee. Orm Marius. Klarion.

"The Light." Dick grins sharply. "We got them."

ooooooo

A/N: This is definitely the last chapter for year 5. Year 6 is next and, based on the current plan, it might be a long one that's split up again in order to not make you guys wait too long.

For the Light, I know there's a few members missing. This was not a mistake. The Brain and Sportsmaster died during the Invasion and Ra's Al Guhl quit after the Invasion for reasons later to be discussed. The Invasion also delayed Ocean Master's plans so his role as a traitor was not revealed and thus, he wasn't replaced with Black Manta later.

Also, while I use a number of lines from either comic book or show cannon in the story, the conversation with Luthor did contain a number of direct quotes from the show so just to give credit where credit is obviously due: those lines are from the show and I own nothing associated with the rights of Young Justice.

As always, thanks for reading, thank you so much for all of your support, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Next Chapter: Year 6: Lightning in a Bottle